Your growing baby’s development in week 35

Help your growing baby develop in the thirty-fifth week of your pregnancy

You’re not technically pregnant yet, but eating a well-balanced diet including folate will ensure proper fetal development after conception occurs.

What’s happening this week?

With his or her heart, blood vessels, muscles, and bones fully developedi, your growing baby’s body is beautifully taking shape. His or her skin is even becoming less wrinkled as fat beneath it increases.i

His or her breathing and digestive systems are fully formedii, and his or her immune system is growing stronger with your help. Your growing baby now even has sleeping patterns.ii

Around the size of pineapple now, your growing baby weighs about 5.25 pounds (2.4 kilograms) and is about 18.25 inches from head to toe (46 centimeters).iii

What can you expect?

By now, it’s normal to feel worried about motherhood. These tips may help you recognize if you’re experiencing something more serious, like prenatal depression, or just enjoy your pregnancy more in general:

Know the signs. They vary from person to person, but signs of prenatal depression include experiencing severe mood swings, overwhelming sadness, insomnia, fatigue, and feelings of hopelessness.iv

Get help from friends and family for chores and cares. It’s also important to talk things over with your doctor or a therapist if you feel overwhelmed by your feelings.

Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation may be a contributing factor to depressionv.

What can you do to support your pregnancy?

Do make sure you are getting enough rest. A lack of sleep may trigger less severe though still troubling symptoms such as pregnancy headachesvi. If you can’t get adequate sleep at night, catch up on this lost sleep with a daytime nap.v

To support your incremental needs and your growing baby’s mental and physical development, continue to eat food rich in DHA, and other essential nutrients like iron, zinc, choline and folate.vii

Did you know that your growing baby is already learning even in the womb?viii Support this by continuing to stimulate the senses through speech, music, and touch. Bonding with your growing baby is how he or she gets to know the world.